Soldier of Fortune (SOF), subtitled The Journal of Professional Adventurers, is a daily web magazine owned and published by Susan Katz Keating. It began as a monthly U.S. periodical published from 1975 to 2016 as a magazine devoted to worldwide reporting of wars, including conventional warfare, low-intensity warfare, counter-insurgency, and counter-terrorism. It was published by Omega Group Ltd., based in Boulder, Colorado. In May 2022, author, editor, and security journalist Susan Katz Keating bought the publication from the founder.[2][3]
History
Soldier of Fortune magazine was founded in 1975, by Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Reserve, (Ret.) Robert K. Brown, who served with Special Forces in Vietnam.[4] After retiring from active duty, Brown began publishing a “circular”, magazine-type publication with few pages which contained information on mercenary employment in Oman, where the Sultan Qaboos had recently deposed his father and was battling a communist insurgency. Brown's small circular soon evolved into a glossy, large-format, full-color magazine.
The magazine currently is published by Soldier of Fortune LLC, owned by Susan Katz Keating, and is based in Tampa, Florida.[5]
In the online magazine, publisher Keating revived original reporting, and sent correspondents into the field in Ukraine, Serbia, Israel, and along the southern U.S. border with Mexico. She introduced a new section entitled The Fire Pit, wherein readers submit personal stories of war and adventure.[6] Among those whose stories appear in the section are Gen.(Ret) Scott Miller, formerly the four-star general in charge of U.S. forces in Afghanistan [7] and Jan Scruggs, founder of the Vietnam Memorial Wall,[8] along with numerous warfighters and veterans.[9]
The magazine gained publicity in July 2023 when Keating published her investigative series on the cocaine packet that was discovered inside the Biden White House.[10] The articles were picked up by Radar Online,[11] the New York Post,[12] and other outlets.
In April 2024, the magazine began offering subscriptions.
In response to requests from readers, Soldier of Fortune Magazine now offers subscriptions on its popular social media site, publisher Susan Katz Keating said in news reports.
“Fans have been asking how they can support us as we continue to grow, and this is what we came up with. It’s a great way for them to be part of our extended team,” Keating said. [13]
"Gun for Hire" lawsuits - 1980's, Under Robert K Brown
During the late 1980s, Soldier of Fortune under Robert K. Brown was sued in civil court several times for having published classified advertisements by private "guns for hire." The magazine subsequently suspended publication of classified advertisements.
In 2022, publisher Keating affirmed that under her watch, the magazine would not publish such advertisements.
Editors
- Jim Graves, former managing editor and columnist.[14]
- Susan Katz Keating, editor and publisher (as of March 30, 2022).
Notable contributors
- Jan Scruggs, founder of the Vietnam Memorial Wall
- Col. David "Hack" Hackworth, US Army (ret./deceased)
- Ltc. Robert C. MacKenzie, US Army (ret./deceased)
- Ltc. Oliver North, US Marine Corps (ret.)
- Dale Dye, US Marine Corps (ret.)
- Al J Venter
- John Plaster, US Army (ret.)
See also
References
- ^ Omega First Amendment Legal Fund, All Business, allbusiness.com
- ^ "Soldier of Fortune Founder Robert K. Brown Passes the Torch to New Publisher After 47 Years". Soldier of Fortune Magazine. May 6, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
- ^ "A Message From SOF Publisher SKK: A Tribute to RKB, and Looking Ahead". Soldier of Fortune Magazine. May 6, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
- ^ Robert K. Brown Archived June 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Biography, National Rifle Association
- ^ "Contact Us
- ^ "The Fire Pit: New Section Featuring Stories of Fortune, Lore, and More". June 28, 2022.
- ^ "General (Ret) Scott Miller: In the Battle of Mogadishu, We Had Extreme Trust in One Another Amid Chaos". November 11, 2023.
- ^ "Creating The Vietnam Wall Was 'a Minor Miracle': Jan Scruggs Credits Veterans for Building Their Own Memorial". November 11, 2023.
- ^ "The Fire Pit". Soldier of Fortune Magazine.
- ^ "White House Cocaine Probe: Questions for the FBI". July 17, 2023.
- ^ Johnson, Aaron (July 22, 2023). "White House Cocaine Culprit ID'd as 'Someone in the Biden Family Orbit,' Top Security Reporter Sensationally Claims — But Also Declares: 'It Wasn't Hunter'". RadarOnline.
- ^ King, Ryan (August 8, 2023). "White House cocaine belonged to 'Biden family orbit': report".
- ^ https://apnews.com/press-release/ein-presswire-newsmatics/books-and-literature-caa2d384243112b8b95e0ab133351724
- ^ Clausing, Jeri (March 2, 1988). "Jurors trying to decide whether Soldier of Fortune should..." UPI.
Further reading
- Lamy, Philip. "Millennialism in the Mass Media: The Case of 'Soldier of Fortune' Magazine." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Vol. 31, No. 4, December 1992, pp. 408–424. doi:10.2307/1386853. JSTOR 1386853.
